Dispenser



` Aug 15, 1939- R. WILDERMANN 2,169,778

DISPENSER Filed Nov. 14, 193.6 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Aug. 15, 1939. j R W|LDERMANN 2,169,778

msPENsEn Filed Nov. '14, 195e 2 sheets-sheet 2 fll'," 54 4/ 4Z f- 44' 43 sag Ii', [62:2

INVENTOR:

WMM

Patented Aug. 15, 1939 UNITED STATES DISPENSER Rudolf Wildermann, New York, N. Y., assignor,

by mesne assignments, to The Food Dispenser Company, Hartford, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Application November 14, 1936, Serial No. 110,910

21 Claims.

The dispenser of this invention is especially devised for convenient pouring and dosing of accessories in liquid, semi-liquid or possibly in powder form, such as oil, cream, syrup, various condimentsl and spices, sugar, etc., in the household, kitchen, etc., but foremost at the table.

No-vel useis recognized in the convenience of the dispenser, as well as in hygiene, preservation and control concerning the fluid contents of the dispenser.

Under specific aspects the invention represents a combination of a dispensing container having a closable outlet at a low point of its normal position, in which position it is however not adapted to stand by itself,with a supporting cup adapted to retain such dispenser in the said normal position, and serving at the same time to receive, in a position. of rest of the dispenser, drops, which may have formed, when the said outlet wasl closed after use of the dispenser.

Convenience and handiness during and after use, and the hygienic considerations which arise particularly from a desire of keeping such an accessory clean and of providing for ease of cleaning, involve manifold arrangements, and are further objects of this invention, which will be better understood from the following description o-f several exemplary modifications of this. invention. Such examples of this invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in whichz- Fig. 1 is a partly sectioned elevation of an assembled combination of the instant invention.

Fig. y2 presents a corresponding top View.

Fig. 3 shows the dispensing vessel alone.

Fig. 4 is a detail end view of a lever used in the arrangement of Fig. 1, seen in the direction indicated by an arrow and the numeral 4 in the View of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 shows the cap of Fig. 1 in a correspondl ing View, but in aremoved, collapsed state.

Fig. 6 illustrates a modification in a sectioned elevational part View.

Fig. 7 shows a corresponding planview. Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the various views. l

Fig. 3 shows the dispenser II proper which hasl for instance the shape of aV bulb in the modification of Figs, 1, 2, 3 and 4 of the drawings. It is provided with an opening at the top by way of which it may be filled, and which serves to admit the valve control means. The said opening may be provided with a suitable closure, which may for instance be attached by a bayonet'or screw lockthread 4III being shown for that purpose upon the outside of a. neck I5 surrounding the opening I2, said thread engaging upon the inside of the cover, cap, or closure I3. For convenience of manipulation the dispenser may be provided with a handle. `In the drawings the handle I6 is shown to! extend from the cap or closure I3.

Dispenser II may be downwardly attenuated, and at the lower end it is provided with a dispensing opening I'I. This opening may be closed by any suitable closing means inserted into the dispenser from the top thereof; in the drawings I sho-w a stem I8 extending through the dispenser; that stem I8 is provided at the lower end with a conical valve I9. If the dispensing vessel II is made of a `transparent material, like glass, I may provide a metal shell or ferrule 20 at its lower end. The ferrule may for instance be fastened by spinning the inner sleeve part 2I thereof out, so that it engages upon the contracting lower end of the opening Il; the ferrule 20 may be further secured by a suitable adhesive or cement. The inner surface of sleeve 2I is shaped to provide a suitable seatl for the conical valve I9. The stem I8 slidably extends through a hole 22 in the cover, cap or closure I3. A skirt 23 extends around hole 22 from the cap or closure in order better to guide the stem or plunger I8.

Above said cap I3 the stem or plunger I8 is shown to converge into a neck 25, upon which is superimposed a ball 26; thisball is substantially of the diameter of the plunger or stem I8, so that it also ts through the opening 22 in cap I3.

The front end oflever'28 is shaped as a circular tro-ugh as seen inthe end View of Fig. 4, so that the converging lower edges 30 at the front of said lever engage around and underneath the ball 26, said ball substantially slidably fitting into the track thus formed at the front end of lever 28.

At the center 29 ofthe lever 28 the converging lower edges 3U have been ared out, so that the sides of the-lever 28 there extend substantially in'parallelism, the hub 3I extending up from the cap `I3 being accommodated between the parallel Walls at this point 29 of lever '28 and the lever being fulcrumed by a stud 30 upon said hub 3I.

The back part 2'I of lever 28 is ilared out further, so that it offers a convenient knob-formation for manipulation by the thumb of a hand.' whose other ngers are engaged upon the handle I6.

The lever` 28 vis always. `tensioned around the fulcrum at stud or rivet 30by a at spring 32, which'is accommodated in a slot in thek cap I3 between the lug 3l and the handle I6, and the free end of which is guided in the concave hollow of the back 21 of lever 28.

At the circular trough-formation of the lever 28 I provide a slanted front 24, so that the convergf ing lower edges 30 of the upper front of lever 28 engage around ball 26 in the position of Fig. 1J in which said lever depresses the plunger and stem I8, and thereby the va1`ve I9 into the seat 2l. ball 26, when lever 28 is manipulated at the end 21 and swung in clockwise direction, so that the converging edges lift the ball 26, and thereby the valve out of its closing position of the lower end of the container Il; and the valve is open when the knob 2l has been pressed down. Thus the lever 28 serves to manipulate the valve I9 at random, when the device is assembled as shown in Fig. 1. But when the cap I3 is unscrewed from the container II, then the plunger or stem I8 may remain in the seat at the bottom of said container, and the descending stem or plunger allows the lever 28 to follow the pressure of the spring 32, said lever swinging in counterclockwise rotationl into the ultimate position of Fig. 5. In the position of Fig. 5 the converging edges 38 at the front of the lever have swung so far to the right, thatthey clear the ball 26, so that stem or plunger I8 falls out, or it may be withdrawn. When the cap is screwed on again, the procedure is reversed, theball 26 enters through opening 22 and engages the top extent of lever 28 at the top front, until the circular trough formation of the lever is fully engaged upon the ball 26, after the cap I3 has been screwed onto the container II again. Y The dispenser I I may be supported in the position, in which it is shown in the drawings, by a supporting vessel of suitable size. But I may also provide a rim 33, extending around dispenser Il, such rim providing a level bottom which may be deposited upon the upper rim of a suitable supporting vessel, for instance a glass. In the drawings I show a supporting cup 34, the inside of which is shaped substantially analogously to the lower end of dispenser I I, the upper rim 35 of said cup having an inner diameter accommodating the dispenser just below the rim 33, so that the rim 33 is seated on cup 34. The base 36 of cup 34 should be large enough safely to support the cup itself aswell as the dispenser superimposed thereupon.

Of course the conical valve I9 may be seated directly in the dispenser, it being well known that the outlet I1 of a glass dispenser II may be ground to oier a conical seat for a suitable conical valve.

That is illustrated in the modiiication of Figs. 6 and '7. But that modification serves at the same time as an example for the ramications by way of which the instant invention may be adapted in accordance with varying circumstances.

In Figs. 6 and 7 we nd a plurality of dispensers, e. g. the four dispensers 4I, 42, 43 and 44 arranged in a circle upon a stand 45. The stand 45 has exemplarily been given the shape of a revolving tray; it comprises a plate 46 at the bot tom, which may be suitably indented or depressed in order to receive the drippings from the lower ends of the dispensers suspended thereabove. In the drawings I show a groove 41 to extend around the circular plate 46, and the riser 48 extends centrally up from said plate. 'I'he upper end of the riser. isllpllov and. .15mm/ide@ with a Suit:

The said edges 30 also engage below the able bushing material 49, into which rotatably extends an arbor 5I from the top tray 5U. Such a `tray 56 may be rotated at will, so that the user may turn on the stand any preferred dispenser into his direction. The dispensers extend through and depend from suitable openings 52 in the tray, and always face at their lower end the groove 4l, as long as they are suspended in the tray.

Let us now study the various dispensers 4I, 42, 43 and 44. Each one comprises a container 55, which clears and hangs down through a corresponding opening 52 in the tray. At the lower attenuated end of the container 55 is an opening in which is seated the conical valve 51 arranged at the bottom end of plunger 56. At the upper end of the plunger 56 is a knob 60, and a circular platform 58 is arranged therebelow, so that a groove 59 is formed therebetween, which serves to receive the forked end 6I of the operating lever 62.

When the plunger is executed in glass, I may, in accordance with the knowledge of those acquainted with this art, grind the valve 51 and the groove 59, in order to obtain a greater precision and a better t. But of course the whole plunger assembly does not have to be integral, I may for instance assemble a metal platform 58 and a metal knob 60 on a glass plunger 56.

The upper open ends of the containers 55 are again closed by caps 54, which may be secured and tightened on the container by way of a thread, as shown. When using a thread, I do not know the exact position at which the cap tightens upon the container,-but it is always desirable to have the valve operating lever and the handle in alignment,-so that the handle 53 is carried by the cap 54. It is expressly understood, that in case I use some other locking means for the cap on the container, e. g. a bayonet lock, in which case I know the exact angular position in which the cap and container assemble, I may attach the handle upon the container, the valve operating lever aligning thereabove in the cap. Or the valve operating lever may be mounted in the container above the handle, extending through a suitable hole or notch in the side of the container, whereupon the cap may assume the form of any closure, which is independently screwed onto the top of the container.

In thetexemplary execution of Figs. 6 and '7 the whole valve operating lever 62, with the exception of the manipulating part, knob 62a, is accommodated upon the inside of the container, so that the dispenser presents a very cleancut exterior. The handle 53 is circularly arranged and merges with the cover 54 at one end, whereupon it bulges as a rib or ridge up from said cover, until it nally swerves completely away from the cover, e. g. in U-shape for facilitating casting. Between the walls of the U- shaped handle 53, the lever 62 is fulcrumed by a pivot 63 upon the handle and cover, protruding through a clearance in the surface of the handle 53, which extends from 64 to 65. The edge 64 of the cover or handle is so far removed from the lever, that it allows the same to swing for a certain angle in clockwise direction, when the cover is unscrewed from container 55. After the lever has swung through that angle, it vertically clears the knob 68 at the top end of the plunger or stem 56, but it still faces the platform 58. The `unscrewed cover may therefore be removed from the container, the plunger or stem 52 remaining behind, standing erect in the container.

Butwhenthe cover. is reassembled with the containenthe forked'end 5| 'of the leverrst comes to rest upon theplatform 58, ,and,as the cap lor cover 51!r isscrewed onto the container, the forked endv 5I advances toward the center, sliding across upon the platform 58, until it engages againunderneath the knob 50, so that operative relationship with the plunger 66 and valve 51 are restored. A flat spring 65 is fastened upon the inside of the handle y53, extends around the edge 65 of the clearance opening in the handle, and then is engaged underneath the knob 62a pressing this knob in clockwise direction around the fulcrurn at 63 of the lever 62, so that valve 51 is normally pressed into a closed position in container 55, when the cap or cover 54 is affixed to the container'. When the lever is manipulated `counterclockwise, the forked end 6l lifts knob 60, thus opening the valve 51,.

For purposes of `convenience a section of the cap or cover 54,-between the side walls of the handle 53,--is indicated to be omitted. T'he handle 53 is swerved away from the container for such a distance, as to permit convenient manipulation, when, by way of gripping the said handle, the user lifts the whole container 55 out of the opening 52 in the tray 50 of stand 45.

Having thus described my invention in detail, I do not wish to be limited thereby, except as the state of the art and the appended claims may require, for it is obvious that various modifications and changes may be made in the form of embodiment of my invention, without departing from the spirit and scope thereof.

What I claim is:

1. In a dispenser of the kind herein described, a container open at the top and with an outlet at the bottom, said outlet having a valve seat opening downward, a valve in saidvseat, a valve stem for lifting and lowering said valve, arising in said container, and removable means tted on the top of said container carrying operating lconnections connected to the upper end of said stem during operation of said valve and releasing said stem when said means are removed from said container. v

2. A dispenser comprising a container, a cover for said container, an outlet in the bottom of said container, said outlet having a valve seat opening downward, a valve in said heat, a valve stem for lifting and lowering said valve, arising in said container, and manipulating means for operating said valve from the outside of said container, operatively engaging upon the upper end of said stem when said cover closes said container, but disengaging from said stem when said cover is removed from said container.

3. A dispenser comprising a container, a cover for said container, an outlet in the bottom of said container, said outlet having a valve seat opening downward, a valve in said seat, a valve stem for lifting and lowering said valve, arising in said container, manipulating means for operating said valve from the outside of said 'container, operatively engaging upon the upper end of said stem when said cover closes said container, but disengaging from said stem when said cover is removed from said container, and a spring engaged upon said means and forcing said means onto said stern, thus closing said valve, when said cover closes said container.

4. A dispenser comprising a container, a cover for said container, an outlet in the bottom of said container, said outlet having a valve seat opening downward, a valve in said seat, a valve stern for lifting and lowering saidv valve, arising in said container, and manipulating means for -operating said valve from the outside of said container and operatively engaging said stem when said cover is positioned on said container, and a spring pressing said manipulating means out of engagement with said stem, when said cover is being removed.

5. A dispenser 'comprising a container, a cover for said container, an outlet in the bottom of said container, said outlet having a valve seat opening downward, a valve in said seat, a valve stem for lifting and lowering said valve, arising in said container, and manipulating means for operating said valve from the outside of said container and operatively engaging said stem when said cover is positioned on said container, and a spring pressing said manipulating means laterally out of engagement with said stem, when said cover is being removed.

6. A dispenser comprising a container, a removablecover for said container, an outlet in the bottom of said container, said outlet having a valve seat opening downward, a valve in said seat, a valve stem for lifting and lowering said valve, arising in said container, manipulating means carried on said cover for operating said valve and extending from the outside of the covered container into engagement upon said stem, and a spring acting upon said means and pressing said valve into said seat by way of said means and said stem.

7, In combination with a container, a valve closing the bottom of said container, and a stem arising from said valve, and a terminal at the upper end of said stem, a cover mounted on said container, and an operating lever mounted on said cover and engaging said terminal from vbelow, said lever moving laterally awayl from below said terminal, when said cover is removed from said container.

8. A table accessory, comprising a dispenser with a closable bottom outlet, a cup, a contracted portion on said dispenser intermediate to its ends, a top rim on said cup fitting around said portion and adapted for removably supporting `said dispenser above said cup, and a handle arched over the part of said dispenser overlying said portion.

9. A table accessory,l comprising a dispenser with a closable bottom outlet, a plate, a tray spacedly arranged above said plate', means for removably suspending said dispenserk above said plate for free removal upon lifting said dispenser from said tray, and a handle for lifting said dispenser from said tray, said handle extending from the suspended dispenser above said tray.

10. A dispenser with an opening at the top and with a bottom outlet, a Valve seated on said outlet, a 'cover engaged upon said dispenser and substantially closing said opening, a stem arising from said valve and slidably extending through f said cover, manipulating means for said valve mounted on said cover and operatively engaging said stem, and a spring reacting between said cover and said means and pressing said means onto said stem.

11. A dispenser with an opening at the top and with a bottom outlet, a valve seated on said outlet, a cover engaged upon said dispenser and substantially closing said opening, a hollow han,- dle forming part of said cover, a stem arising from said valve, a lever engaging upon said stem and extending through said hollow handle, and manipwatingmeans for said valve at the end of said lever outside of said handle.

12. A table accessory, comprising a downwardly attenuated glass dispenser with an outlet at the bottom, a valve seated in said outlet, a stem arising from said valve through said dispenser to a point below the top thereof, and manipulating means for said valve depending into said container and engaged from the side over the upper end of said stem.

13. The combination with a supporting cup, of a dispenser seated therein, said dispenser having an outlet at its bottom, outlet controlling means and a handle both near its top, and a portion of maximum diameter intermediate its top and bottom, and said cup having a clearance opening in its top in which the part of said dispenser below said portion is received, and supporting means of a diameter less than said portion and from which said dispenser may be freely lifted by said handle, ,said supporting means engaging said portion and supporting said outlet in said cup in spaced relation above the bottom of the latter.

14. In a dispenser, a container open at the tcp and with an outlet at the bottom, said outlet having a valve seat opening downward, a valve on said seat, an upstanding valve stem for operating said valve, a lling cover removably connected on the top of said container and having the upper end of said stem projecting therethrough, and valve operating lever means pivoted on said covering having operative connections to the upper end of said stem for enabling removal of said cover while said valve continues to close said outlet.

15. In a dispenser, a container open at the top and with an outlet at the bottom, said outlet having a valve seat opening downward, a valve on said seat, an upstanding Valve stem for operating` said valve,` a lling cover removably connected on the top of said container, and valve operating lever means pivoted on said cover, said stem having a head portion on its upper end and said lever means having operative connections to said head portion for enabling removal of said cover while said valve remains on said seat.

16. In a dispenser, a container open at the top and with an outlet at the bottom, said outlet having a valve seat opening downward, a valve on said seat, an upstanding valve stem for operating Said valve, a cover removably connected on the top of said container, and valve operating lever means pivoted on said cover and operatively connected to the upper end of said stem, said cover and lever means having handle and operating portions one overlying the other.

17. In a dispenser, a container open at the topv and with an outlet at the bottom, said outlet having a valve seat opening downward, a valve on said seat, an upstanding. valve stem for operating said valve, a cover on the top of said container, and valve operating lever means pivoted on said cover and operatively connected to the upper end of said stem, and spring means outside said container acting between said lever means and said cover and normally actuating said stem to bias said stem and valve to closed position.

18. In a dispenser, a container open at the top and with an outlet at the bottom, said outlet having a valve seat opening downward, a valve on said seat, an upstanding valve stem for operating said valve, a cover on the top of said container, and valve operating lever means pivoted on said cover and operatively connected to the upper end of said stem, said stem having a reduced neck on its upper end and said lever means having an open-ended slot receiving said neck and an open-ended trough above said slot receiving the extremity of said stem.

19. A dispenser having an opening at the top and with a bottom outlet, a valve seated on said outlet, a cover on said top, an upstanding stem on said valve, and manipulating lever means pivoted on and extending transversely of said cover and operatively connected to the upper end of said stem and having an actuating portion on the opposite side of its pivot from said operative connection, said 'cover having a depending handle and said actuating portion being disposed i adjacent the top of said handle in position to be operated by the thumb of the hand grasping said handle.

20. A combined cover and actuating mechanism for dispensers comprising a cover member connectible to the top of a container and having an aperture therethrough for an operating stem controlling a bottom outlet in said container, a lever pivoted on said cover on one side of said aperture having one end projecting over the latter and adapted to be operatively connected to the upper end of such a stem, and a laterally yprojecting actuating portion on the opposite side of the lever pivot, said cover having a handle portion projecting downwardly beneath the actuating portion of said lever.

21. A dispenser having an opening at the top and with a bottom outlet, a valve seated on said outlet, a cover on said top, a stem on said valve, and manipulating lever means pivoted on and projecting through said cover and operatively connected within the latter to the upper end of said stem and having an actuating portion operable from the exterior of said cover.

RUDOLF WILDERMANN. 

